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Aug 25, 2009

Tuesday August 25, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: "The Wizard of Oz" (Blogged by Dr. Dad)21A: Helpless: OVER A BARREL

26A: Something wonderful, in old slang:THE BEES KNEES. Never heard of this. Here is the definition. It is also arestaurant.

43A: '80's animated character assisted by the seven Color Kids:RAINBOWBRITE

50A: Character who, in a movie released nationally 70 years ago today, sang the ballad formed by the first words of 21-, 26-, and 43-Across: DOROTHY GALE. Auntie Em! Auntie Em!

C.C. asked me to guest blog the Tuesday Crossword. I hope I do it justice. But before I get started, congrats to T Frank and Jean. I saw where you were in Rhode Island which is where I currently reside.

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto. All we're missing is the "Somewhere." Maybe a clue that involves the movie Somewhere in Time. Only because I like stories/films about time travel. In case anybody is curious, the title of the song has been both - "Over the Rainbow" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Depends on where you look.

I remember that stupid character in 43A. My daughter needed everything that went with her 20 years ago. Cost big bucks.

Across:

1A: Punch line's lead-in: SETUP

6A: Where many a T-shirt is tie-dyed: CAMP. I bet there were a lot of tie-dyed shirts here 40 years ago.

10A: Mil. truant: AWOL

14A: Bernardo's girl, in "West Side Story": ANITA. Never read the book or saw the movie. Rita Morena played her in the movie.

15A: “Rubáiyát” poet Khayyám: OMAR. Could also have been clued Epps or Sharif.

42D: Side by side: ABREAST. This one probably got Dennis and the DF's (as we used to call them) going for a bit.

43D: First-year player: ROOKIE. Not that I keep up on it, but I wonder who's rookie card is worth the most these days.

44D: Tara family: O'HARAS. Tara is the fictional plantation in this movie.

45D: ___-Mart: WAL

46D: Doesn't do a thing: IDLES

47D: Gelt: MOOLA. With the government "spending" instead of "saving", how can we have any of this?

48D: Smoking gun, e.g.: PROOF

51D: River through France and Belgium: YSER. Another staple for crosswords. During the Battle of the Yser in the First World War the river was deliberately flooded from Nieuwpoort up to Diksmuide in order to provide an obstacle to the advancing German Army.

52D: "I ___ Kick Out of You": GET A

53D: Polite interruption: AHEM

54D: Trait source: GENE

55D: Bookie's concern: ODDS

59D: Numbers pro, briefly: CPA

Well, that's it for today's puzzle. I hope everyone appreciates my comments. Thank you, C.C. for letting me do this. I haven't been to the site in a long, long time because of the "work police" but was on vacation this week. Starting next week, it will probably go back to infrequent visits. It was nice to know (from yesterday's comments) that I was missed.

Picture of the Day: Here is another great photo of our fellow solver Jeanne and her husband at her son's wedding. She said: "The saying around here for the mother of the groom is to “sit down, shut up, and wear beige.” I was good on 2 out of 3!!!".

77 comments:

Good morning, DrDad, C.C. and gang - another fun, easy puzzle this morning, about the same time as yesterday, also a clever theme.

Actually had an unknown, which is unusual for a Tuesday puzzle: never heard of Rainbow Brite. There were several words we've seen recently, including 'covets', 'magi' and 'moola'. For some reason, 'problems' for 'predicaments' bothered me; I don't see the two as necessarily synonymous. And it's always a great puzzle that has 'abreast' in it.

DrDad, great job; you should do this more often.

Today is Kiss and Make Up Day. Fits well with yesterday's discussion on how to have a happy marriage. By the way, I always thought it was 'never go to bed hungry'...

Today's Words of Wisdom: "The man of wisdom is never of two minds; the man of benevolence never worries; the man of courage is never afraid." -- Confucius

Even more Fun Facts:

- There are more psychiatrists than mail carriers in the United States.

Good morning Dr. Dad, C.C. and all, an easy, swift moving puzzle today. I don’t know how long it took to complete the puzzle, but it was non stop writing. There is not much to comment on today as any unknowns were quickly completed by the perps.

Dr. Dad, such a pleasure to see you back and then to have you do the blog was a great idea on the part of CC. Maybe you will retire and then join the rest of us on a daily basis.

Dr. Dad,I found the blog sometime after you stopped being a regular, but often noticed references to you. Yesterdays comments confirm that you've been missed.

I agree totally about Bond/Connery. By the time I saw From Russia With Love, my first Bond movie, I had already read all the Bond books. Ian Fleming, while not thought of as a particularly great writer, was well known for his detailed descriptions. When I saw Sean Connery, I thought immediately that was Fleming's Bond.

Morning, All. Finally I got a good night's sleep, so wasn't up an an ungodly hour of the morning to do the puzzle. Still got up in time to to the puzzle before getting ready for work, however.

A tad of trouble in both the NW and SW corners. I never saw West Side Story, so didn't realize that Maria was not Bernardo's girl. When I couldn't make the perps work, I realized we must be looking at another person.

I prefer a puzzle that I have to work on a bit. If I can complete it too easily, I feel cheated. So this was a good one.

We had a VETO answer recently. It give me trouble the first go-round, but I nailed it this time.

I got THE BEE'S KNEES, straight away. My grandfather used that expression, and he kept bees as a bit of a hobby.

Favorite clue: Numbers Pro (59D), especially since it was so close to (55D), Bookie's concern.

Beautlful Picture, Jeanne!

Birthdays Today:

1930 ~ Sean Connery (DR. NO, 41A)

1958 ~ Tim Burton (film director of such movies as Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas. He often uses Johnny Depp. His version of Alice and Wonderland is coming out soon.

QOD: The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it. ~ George Bernard Shaw

Good morning, all!Dr. Dad, I'm a relative newbie here, but even I know that you're a legend on this blog. Seamless write up on this solid puzzle. Thanks!As soon as I saw the theme assert itself, I was afraid that the scary flying monkeys might appear. Sigh of relief that they didn't. Not a huge fan... I wonder if kids today still know that movie and if they are as enthralled by it as their parents, grandparents, et al. were!?"Bee's knees" (26A) seems almost quaint. "Rainbow Brite" was new to me. When the clue "domesticates" popped up, I so wanted to put in "dates" but perps kept me on the straight & narrow. Loved MOOLA and KABOB. Restaurants lately seem to spell it "kebab" and I have no idea why.All in all, a very doable puzzle free of overly obscure fill, and arcane abbrevs or "twoword" answers. (Public Health Notice) Please start thinking about flu shots if you or a loved one fall into "at risk" categories Just my two cents.Enjoy the day!

Drdad, so good to see you blog again my DF friend. Splendid job!I enjoyed the puzzle today but had a couple of red letter fixes. I wanted sink for the t-shirt clue and tired for weary. I thought "marks successor"- Euro was a clever clue. I never watch any Sunday News (as I am always at church with Lois) so I had to guess at Brit Hume. I also didn't know Dorothy's last name but the perps helped. I too, have never heard of Rainbowbrite and frankly Dennis, I would have been worried had you known her.

Morning all,A nice puzzle for a Tuesday and Dr. Dad great job. Never was a fan of Larry, Curly and Moe; knew Rainbow Brite although with 2 sons never had them in our house. Never had a baba; although it looks good, I prefer my liquor in a glass and not food. Knew aegis for protection, but never knew from where it originated-thanks drdad for an explanation. You can all groan now, but I was a huge fan of the Mamas and Papas. Drdad, since you like time travel, are you a fan of the TV show “Lost”? I’m hooked. I think we discussed “ute” before and that is not commonly used in our area-usually only referred to as SUV. I wouldn’t consider a dart a seam but it works for the puzzle.

@Dennis, we recently celebrated our 40th anniversary with family and friends. I don’t know the secret of a long marriage--except laugh a lot and good sex. Preferably not at the same time! Our son’s wedding was at the Alden Hotel in Houston last November. The reception room was totally destroyed by Hurricane Ike last September. Room was repaired by November, five days before the wedding. Made it an interesting few weeks. Thanks for the nice comments. Fun to get dressed up on special occasions.

Carol2: Dorothy's last name is mentioned at the beginning of the movie when she first gets to Munchkinland and has killed the Wicked Witch of the East. She is speaking to Glinda the Good Witch of the North: "I'm Dorothy Gale, from Kansas."

Good morning Drdad (Yippee!), CC, et al., Excellent puzzle -fun and just hard enough. Also excellent write up today, Drdad. So happy to see you here. Loved the Mamas and Papas link. Always a fav.

Rainbow Brite brought back a lot of memories with my little girls. We had it all and 'odds' are, RB et al are probably out in the shed. Anything w/a horse or dog came here, including Toto and his basket. Those times so long 'ago' were the 'bee's knees'! 'Eras' that were 'safe' and 'import'ant, when this 'mama' was home and 'would' have cookies or bread baking when my 'babas' would come home from school, even with one baby 'abreast' in my 'arms' and a toddler 'dart'ing around creating 'problems'. May have been 'weary' but never wanted to go 'awol'. 'Yser' those were good times with a good 'set up'. We did a good job. The 'proof' is that nobody has ever been jailed or 'paroled'.....yet.

NYTanonimo: great link - my fav version too plus the medley w/what a wonderful world. Such a loss!

Jeanne: great pic. Absolutely love your dress! You both look so happy.

Good job, Dr. Dad! The puzzle was fun - a little harder than yesterday but about right for a Tuesday.

I was fascinated by your reference to "Somewhere in Time". It is one of my all time favorite movies. I own the DVD and must have seen it about twenty times. It is a real mind twister, with wonderful performances by Reeves, Plummer, Jane Seymour, captured at the height of her beauty, all backed up by beautiful music and that wonderful Grand Hotel location. I think I will watch it again tonight.

Great picture, Jeanne. You are beautiful, your husband handsome, and you both qualify for the best dressed couple of the year award.

Man, I wrote my comments and posted them. Then I discovered I was on the wrong page. I definitely need to wake up.Argyle-Loved the treefrog boogie. But, I am not that treefrog. If I sang it would destroy the equipment.

DrDad-never had to deal with Rainbow Brite, or Barbies. My daughter was riding a horse at 5 and riding a Honda 50 at 7. Her gift for her 5th birthday was Evel Knevel and his van. Good thing she has boys.

Great pix Jeanne. Love the dress.

My inlaws have been married 68 years. We hit 42 this year. I think part of it is just stubbornness!

Jeanne-you can laugh and have good sex at the same time :}I also liked the Mamas and the Papas.

The only places Christmas stuff should be up early are fabric stores and craft stores. Only the items needed to craft stuff for the holidays. I'm waiting for the Christmas trim to show up so I can finish the 12 huge stockings I started last year.

Dennis: LMAO! Preferably daily at least once, but more often as the opportunities present themselves. Usually moreso early in the week but it becomes "'funner' and harder" as the week rolls by. uh, we are talking c/w puzzles, right?

Good Morning!A great write-up by Dr Dad. Sorry, I joined this family after you stopped being a regular. Didnt like this puzzle though with red letter help, I was able to complete it. Maybe its because I never read or watched the Wizard of Oz..know it from the Xword (Bert Lahr being a regular).Got Dorothy from the D in IDLES but had to use perp help for her last name. All the 3 theme entries are unknowns too :(Didnt know DART, MAMAS or BRIT HUME

Jeanne, Loved the picture. Your dress is beautiful. What flower are you both wearing?

Dr. Dad. Nice job. We took a vacation in RI (on a whim) just about this week in '01. Considered taking a side trip to NYC, but enjoyed RI so much it never happened. A couple of weeks later, NYC was forever changed.

Loved today's theme. Beyond that, I'll agree the puzzle was solid, but, alas, short on fun. Too many tired fills, and a paucity of clever cluing.

Plus, the inclusion of the loathsome BRIT HUME ruined it for me. I saw with my own eyes when he told the families of U.S. military casualties lost in Iraq to "Get over it," after Bush made jokes about not finding WMD. I have a step-son at risk in Afghanistan. No Brit, you callous @#%^**&, I am not getting over it.

On brighter notes, for me Sean Connery is the only James Bond.

And the lovely Michelle Phillips - She said her 8-day marriage to Dennis Hopper, "truly...they were the happiest days of my life."

Well - it's from Wikipedia, with a citation needed. But I'm all for happiness, even if it's all too ephemeral.

G'morning!Good job, Dr. Dad! It's always good to see a different perspective on some of these clues.

No real problems today despite not knowing of Rainbow Brite (only boys in the house), Brit Hume or Dorothy's last name. It took a while to come up with Anita too--I remembered Rita Moreno, and that Tony was Maria's guy, but then the perps helped me figure it out.

I agree with Jeanne--a DART is really an inverted pleat sewn in to fit the shape better, where a seam joins two separate pieces together.

KABOB always reminds me of my favorite fast food in Germany--the Kebab. It's a Turkish import, same ingredients as Gyros, but all inside the pita bread like a sandwich you can walk away with--if you are careful! They tend to be messy, but delicious, with lamb shaved off a vertical spit, salad veggies and a yogurt sauce. Yummy!

I liked this puzzle. From the perps I had the O in the first theme answer, THE in the second, RITE in the third and DOR in the unifier when it all came together for me. DOROTHY's last name GALE just jumped into my head. Filling in lots of blanks definitely helped move the puzzle right along. My only misstep was STAR for SEGO, but I fixed it when I realized WT wasn't going anywhere on the down.

I also loved the movie 'Somewhere in Time' - so romantic. My favorite TV time travel show was 'Quantum Leap' - as much for Scott Bakula as for the very clever writing.

When my husband and I had been together just a short while, he once said to me he had never laughed so much in bed. Since we were laughing with each other, not at each other, it was all good.

Hi CC and gang,Visiting the blog after a long time. Looks like Tuesday is an easy day, I got through the CW with no problems while you guys were still asleep.Hi Kazie,How's the Sri Lanka story progressing? KABOB or KABAB as we spell it here are quite a delicacy in India, in fact there is a wide variety available at some restaurants which specialize in KABABSCiao

This URL has all of the tongue twisters including: "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,and chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood."

Good Morning All, What a nice surprise to see Dr. Dad's comments this morning.

There was nothing difficult about this puzzle, but I liked so many of the fills. PROBLEMS, O'HARAS, ABREAST and BRIT HUME, were all new, at least to me. Add those to DOROTHY GALE singing OVER THE RAINBOW and it couldn't get much better.

I've seen the movie several times and I read all the Oz books as a little girl, so I'm familiar with almost all of the character names.

I vaguely remembered RAINBOW BRITE. The song RAINBOW High from Evita might not have been easier for many people, but any excuse to listen to Patti Lupone is just fine with me.

About super early holiday decorations, it annoys me too. BUT... My grandson works part-time at a craft store where, last week, someone set fire to a Christmas garland during store hours. No one was hurt, but there was thousands of dollars in damage. Treefrog is right. It is a craft store and many people start creating decorations months in advance. What has happened to "If you don't like it, don't buy it."?

Elissa, I agree that laughing and sex often do go together. I recommend it heartily. Lois seems to have the knack down pat. Good for her! BTW, I'm very glad this blog is about more than crosswords. It would be quite bland if it didn't have a little spice in the mix.

Hi DrDad, C.C. and all - Loved this puzzle (even though it was not hard enough :)) Of course that is because I knew most all the answers - LOL. 42A (AEGIS) and 47D (MOOLA)(gelt) were unknown but that was about it...unheard of for me!

DrDad, great write up, wish you were going to be around more than just this week.

I read all of Ian Fleming'e novels before any of them were made into movies. Most of the movies (with Sean Connery) were the best. (IMHO)

Jeanne, lovely picture! You both look so happy.

I was never a fan of the 3 Stooges either...is it just me, or do most women not care for their 'humor'? It seems it is mostly guys that think they were funny.

No googling for me either. Tried "Maria" too, but "Anita' became evident with other fills. The "bees knees" was a bit before my time but not so much I didn`t know it. I always thought "Gale/Gail" was a second name and a play on words because of the storm.. "Rainbow Brite" was an in-demand Halloween Costume when my daughter was just getting old enough. "Strawberry Shortcake" was also big. Connery was the definitive Bond but many here don`t care for him because of his personal views concerning women. What language does "kibosh" come from or is it a 'corruption' like "boocoodles' for "beau coup."

Had some troll food but I "ate' it myself...

My favorite tongue twister is "Rubber baby buggy bumpers."

Jeanne; Lovely couple! (I never wore beige either...OR the other two!) That IS gray isn`t it?

Clearayes had some good advice that could go for news programs too. If you don`t care for a particular "view", watch one you DO agree with. That`s why it is still (so far) America.

I just reread my first post. Leaving out just one word can make a difference. It should have been "PROBLEMS, O'HARAS, ABREAST and BRIT HUME, were all new fills". It wasn't that I had never heard the words before. :o)

Speaking of words (how's that for a segue?), here's an interesting poem about grammar and people. I hope our teachers enjoy it.

Grammarian's Poem

Buckminster Fuller said, "I seem to be a verb."That made me think. My granddad was a genuine article,my cousin Jill an adjective modifying every personplace and thing.

Some men I know are mostlyejaculations andthose Joneses we keep up with would beprepositions, wouldn't they ?They have so many objects.

I'm not much of a Three Stooges fan either. My m-i-l says that my f-i-l watched them with his kids, all of them rolling on the floor laughing. When the grandkids came along he rolled on the floor with them laughing at the Stooges. Now there are great grandchildren and he is so glad he has the Stooges on DVD so he can introduce a new generation, although his rolling on the floor days are behind him. And speaking of behind him, my dad says Shemp (the alternate 3rd stooge) lived behind him when he was little.

Luxor,I wasn't inferring that I disapprove of the Df-ness, just amused at how easily it arises.

Col. Gopinath,Long time no see! Welcome back. Unfortunately, I have been very lazy with my writing. I started to consider how they would have made the journey from the port to Ratnapura, perhaps on the Kalu Ganga river? Then I switched to other segments in the story for a while--they are easier for me, but I haven't added anything since May. Thanks so much for your interest and for asking!

I think this was my best time ever, but still nothing like Dennis time. What a treat to have Dr. Dad’s comments. I loved the links. The Bee’s Knees restaurant makes me want to visit Vermont.

Jeannne, what a beautiful picture.

Lois, isn’t it sad how few moms are able to stay home full time? I know that some women prefer to work outside the home, and it’s fine with me. But the best time of my life was when I was a full time mom/homemaker. I wish it were a more viable option today. Before my kids finished grade school the job was obsolete, and we all had to learn new ways.

Col. Gopinath, it’s good to see you again, I hope to see you more often.

My vote is yes for a little DFness and other forms of humor. There are other crossword blogs for people who prefer strict intellectualism. This blog is unique because not only do we have intelligent people hosting, but many more posting comments everyday about the CW and themselves. Today NTYAnimo made me cry with the IZ tribute, and Dennis and Lois made me laugh. Take your pick, or visit them all; they’re all good.

I love Scot Bacula, but was never a fan of The Three Stooges, and CA, today’s poem is great fun. I hope I’m a conjunction too.

Morning still for a bit...A little more difficult than yesterday, but I was watching CASTLE while I was doing it and Nathan Fillion garners a lot of my attention. :o) Theme was easy to catch for me today and I enjoyed the puzzle overall. For some reason got hung up on the Y-ER cross with USER. Got ELOI so no worms today.

Regardless of his personal life, Connery is still the epitome of Bond( I also liked Timothy Dalton)...and I too read all the books back before the movies came out. Never knew Dorothy's last name, let ANITA fill itself in even though I have seen the movie. Have made BABAS, but not a fan of rum so usually dip them in a simple syrup

DrDad, it is great to have yo back and it was a terrific blogging job, like you had been at it for ages.

Col...so very nice to see you after such a long while

Jeanne, you are lovely and you both look so happy. I'm guessing that since your dress is beige that you also got the sit down part right...:o)

We have such a great looking group of smart people on this blog...

Elissa, I agree about the 3 Stooges...my brothers thought they were hysterical. We were lucky to give Rainbow Bright a miss but had dealings with Barbie(I made most of the clothes ), Strawberry Shortcake(made Halloween Costumes one year) and Pretty Pony...the other daughter was into StarTrek figures and Masters of the Universe. She is the vinyl toy designer...shoulda seen that coming. She just auctioned off 3 of her 4" custom figures(one,of his Dr. Horrible character, signed by Nathan Fillion) for his charity Kids Need to Read...did a great job with it.

CA...I like the poem and C.C. I love being an exclamation mark...woo hoo.

Enjoyable puzzle, just a bit harder than yesterday.I'm ashamed to say that I did not know Enid.Did get Bees Knees right away; must have heard it from an old Fred Astaire movie. They also used "the cat's pajamas" and/or "the cat's whiskers" back then. Who knows? Maybe it was a short-cut of "be-alls & end-alls"

So nice that you were able to blog for us, Dr. Dad.Loved all the extras you added for us.Thanks!

NYTA, I agree that Israel's version is the best. I am probably the only living person that hated Wizard of Oz. I can still hear that wicked witch cackling..gives me the creeps!

I just came back and found I was signed out--first time for everything, I guess.

c.c.,I think I'm a tilde because I change direction a lot, like that wiggly line.

Chickie,I was also told in Germany that many businesses took advantage of people not realizing the Euro was worth twice what the Mark had been, and priced things accordingly. Still, most basic things in supermarkets there are still less than similar items here.

Where did all the Scott Bakula adulation come from today? Wherever, I'm with it! I used to love Quantum Leap too. Now I'm frustrated by the lack of good, entertaining TV shows. Seems to be overrun with "reality" shows now.

I too abhore slapstick humor, and have to be very careful of what Netflix rentals I choose because the description often says they're hilarious but I find them anything but.

1718- Hundreds of French colonists arrived in Louisiana, and,voila, New Orleans was founded

1920- Ethelda Bleibtrey was the first US woman to win in the Olympics. She won 3 gold medals in swimming."Bleibtrey started swimming to help recover from polio, which she caught in 1917. In 1919, she was arrested for "nude swimming" — she removed her stockings at a pool where it was forbidden to bare "the lower female extremities for public bathing."Wikipedia

1940-1st parachute wedding!OMG

1944-Paris was liberated from the Nazi occupation( Freedom Tuesday)

1981- Mark Chapman was sentenced to 20 yrs-life for killing John Lennon. He remains at Attica; parole has been denied 5 times. (my late sister lived in the building next to The Dakota)

I am going to try that link thingie again...if it works, here is Nathan Fillion on the Jummy Kimmel show, being presented with the Dr. Horrble figure our daughter designed and sculpted and of her in the audience:

Luxor:I had planned to not address you directly again,and will not do so again in this venue. My Email is onmy profile, I will provide my phone number on request

my observation is that the only thing on this blog in the category of most unwelcome is you. Youin all your incarnations and aliases, including the most recent one. You may change your username to anything you like; your crassness and lack of social skills is so obvious that it cannot be easily disguised. Do yourself and the users of this blog a favor and find another outlet for your agressions.

C.C. Jeannie gave me this recipe yesterday and it's too good not to pass on. BarbB and Lois, good for you to have the option to raise your young children. Unfortunately that wasn't an option for me, but I have done my best and he's turned out okay so far, in my opinion.

Jeannie posted this late last night on your "crossword blog" as Luxor calls it. If you don't want recipes posted let us know.

The BEST Creamed Corn:

Boil 8 ears of sweet corn, let cool and cut off the cobs in a large bowl and make sure to take the back of your knife to get any of the milky mixture off the cobs. In a small bowl, mix together 2 Tbspn sugar, 1 Tbspn of flour, a pinch of salt and ground pepper. Toss that dry mixture in with the corn. In a large skillet, heat up 2 Tpspn of bacon grease (yes I use my cast iron one) though not necessary. Saute' the corn mixture in the grease for a sec and add one cup of heavy whipping cream and 1/2 cup of water. Stir repeatedly as it thickens. I also add a fresh grating of parmesan cheese and stir that in. This can be transported in a casserole dish for reheat, but is best served hot with a slab of butter melted over it.

Enjoyed coming back for a second shot at the posts today!As soon as I got Dorothy Gale I thought of those damn flying monkeys.Don't like the Stooges. Never did. Don't like slapstick. A girl thing?

Once in awhile I watch Quantam Leap reruns. Even though I've seen them all before.

Been trying to clean up my photo files on the computer. What a pain in the prat.Don't know why I have so many duplicates. Think I will take a break and practice making darts.Have a great afternoon/evening.

Hi all,Thanks for all the nice comments. Yes, my dress is beige, flowers were orchids, and actually the dress was the first and only dress I tried on. Women know how rare that is-especially for a special occasion dress. @WM, I, too, am a Nathan Fillion fan and am looking forward to the new season of “Castle”. His show reminds me of “Moonlighting” with Cybil Shepherd and Bruce Willis--comical with a little crime solving thrown in. Also WM thanks for the link to Fillion on Kimmel. Wonderful shout out for your daughter Jenny and what a beautiful girl. Love, love, love your avatar. The color is wonderful.

JD: there's a lot more to NewOrleans history. The city has been ruled under about a dozen flags, from French to Spanish to the Florida republic ... And the list goes on.

Today was a historic day for New Orleans. It was the ribbon cutting for the first brand new school post-Katrina. The state is rebuilding the school system, starting with buildings and curicula. This first new school is just beautiful and state-of-the-art. There are several other new schools that will be opening soon.

The fourth anniversary of Katrina is this Saturday. The memory of that event is still very much alive in the Gulf Coast.

I'm always learning something when I come to this site. Like today, even though it was an easy Tuesday, I learned that appreciation for the Three Stooges is carried on the Y chromosome. Appreciation for the Mamas and the Papas is carried on the X chromosome. Any other sex-linked traits I'll leave to the experts (like Lois and Jeannie and Dennis).

I love the Wizard of Oz and used to look forward each year when it was on TV. It doesn't have the same attraction now. My sister bought her kids the tape/DVD, so they can watch it whenever.

Years ago, when I was about 12, I was very ill and bedbound for several months. Someone gave me a record set (yes it was vinyl) of a reading of the original Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum (he wasn't the narrator). The original story is significantly different from the movie version. Both are very good stories, however.

Looks like I missed a lot of fun this afternoon. I will accept C.C.'s definition of me as a colon : because it follows an independent clause. GAH is a very independent Claus (check our last photo). I don't always follow him but it could happen. I also like to make smiley faces :o) that use a colon as eyes. Any other definition of colon is not on the table!

I'm glad so many of you liked the poem.

Jeannie & Tarrajo, I loved reading the creamed corn recipe. Do you think milk would work as well as heavy cream? Probably not, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I'll just save this recipe for Thanksgiving when all calorie conscienceness is thrown out the window.

We did see Inglourious Basterds today. It is a fairy tale as gruesome as any the Grimm brothers ever set to paper. It isn't history, it's "Tarantinotory". I expect Christoph Waltz, who plays evil SS colonel Hans Landa, will be nominated for an Academy Award, as will the movie, director, script and maybe Brad Pitt. Either you love Quentin Tarantino movies, or you don't, so read the reviews before you go.

Good evening!Tough day @ work. The heat brings out the worst in people. My only small contribution to improve the day was sharing the puzzle with a few willing folks @ that particular office. "Aegis" and "Babas" tripped people up, but they're slowly coming around!

The woman who rules the roost there, a lady of great common sense, a person of a certain age, came up with the best line of the day when people were practically tearing each other apart about someone leaving something nasty lurking in the communal microwave. She may have the title of "admin" but when she enters a room of adults fighting, she just barely raises her voice, cocks her head to one side, and intones "You people need to just get over yourselves" and walks away, the people with fancy degrees simmer down and peace prevails. You can't fake a talent like that!

Hatool(ah). Thanks for the reminder on Katrina. News fatigue strikes us all; we forget about the prior tragedies when new ones hit the headlines. Bad news seems to trump good news in the press, and i wish more of the stories on rebuilding your city would be reported.

C.C., I finally read yesterday's interview. I think that you have real talent in asking the right people the right questions. Katie Couric is an amateur, compared to you! Good clues make for happy solvers. Those AHA moments are why I love puzzles. Yes, I will send you email. I'm linking a new address to my google account, which is slow-going, but am very close.

Jeanne, beige becomes you!

CA. Another fine poem. Where do you find them!?. Long ago, I taught my students in France a poem by Lisel Mueller, re: "Drawings by Children" and also Jabberwocky (sp?) and one student's mom complained that I should teach Whitman instead.....oops!

From "The Phrase Finder" web cite: kibosh is of Irish origin. It is Cork City slang coming from the Irish for cabbage, cabáiste, pronounced ki-boshta. From about 1750 to 1914 there was a large cabbage market in Cork City in the Kohl Quay (now known as Coal Quay); large amounts of cabbage were exported to the German states and the Low Countries. The cabbages were auctioned off and bought by the various merchants and brokers in a large warehouse.To start the auction a large hollow silver cabbage (the Cabáiste) was placed on the auction block and next to it a sample cabbage from the lot to be sold. When the auction was finished the Cabáiste was then placed over the cabbage on display. This was known as putting the Cabáiste on it. Over the years this came to be pronounced "kibosh" on the streets and meant the finish or the end of something. Up until 1922 many English regiments served in Cork City and many West Country regiments of foot must have been there. They would have used the slang and taken it with them to their native shore.Alas, the cabbage market had the kibosh put on it at the commencement of the First World War, as this meant an end to trading with the Continent of Europe.

MJ said...@Jeannie--Thanks for the yummy creamed corn recipe! Fresh corn has not been abundant or inexpensive this summer for us, but I look forward to trying the recipe when it is.

@WM--Enjoyed the clip. Evidently "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" when it comes to creativity and art in your family. Darling daughter!

@PJB--Do you have a recipe for your cukes with rice vinegar? We enjoy them with rice vinegar and a bit of sugar, salt, white pepper, and fresh (if we have it) dill (dried if we don't). Scandinavian style. Does it show that I'm a foodie?

In honor of "Kiss and Make Up Day," I wanted to share a quote from a friend whose wife is fighting for her life in a battle against AML. "Don't forget to hug the ones you love, especially on random occasions, and for no particular reason."

Okay, Brady and I went to the garden to pick tomatoes and gander at our "biggin" as my Mom would say...Brady made a point of bringing a tape measurer, and it is up to 21 1/2" long and about the size of a tether ball at the end. I only wish I had a camera, as you all probably don't believe me. I urge you to try Jeannie's cream corn recipe as we made it tonight and it was FABULOUS. Brady Joe wants the left overs for breakfast.